Sunday, 29 December 2013

Looking ahead to 2014

Is it that time already? Sadly it looks like I'm not going to beat my record of posts from 2012. I'm near, but not there, and won't have the time to write a whole slurry of posts before the end of the year. But as we say farewell to 2013, it is also time to look ahead to 2014 and make some New Year's resolutions.

I didn't really referee an awful lot of RPGs this year. I managed to run a game of Hot War at the last Wintercon way back in January, which I thought went rather well (although I can't believe that was almost a year ago). I also ran some Savage Worlds more recently, and IIRC that was about it for me in the GM's chair. I didn't get an awful lot of board gaming in either, although more recently I've been playing a bit of Monopoly and Railroad Tycoon, not to mention Nuns on the Run, of course.

Having recently taken delivery of my pre-ordered copy of OGRE, which is the biggest and heaviest board game I think I'm ever likely to buy, as well as the recently released Firefly, I've had to take a long hard look at my gaming shelves and the reality of available storage space. Sadly, I must come to the conclusion that I really don't have the room for more board games - they are simply too bulky. I will need to become a lot more selective in 2014 when acquiring new board games. I notice there are a few still in their shrink wrap, which is not a good sign...

So, resolution primus has to be to cut way back on new board games. Period.

Once upon a time pilotless killing machines were a sci fi concept!

I anticipate that 2014 is going to be quite busy on the work front, and probably busier than 2013. This is partly because the funds industry is entering a boom cycle, and, as the saying goes, it is time to make hay while the sun shines. My aim is to work like a blighter until the wheels come off the wagon again, which they most certainly shall. Perhaps by then I'll be able to retire? What it does mean is that there is less likelihood of me writing my own scenarios in 2014 or finishing those I'm working on.

Paris night life - not what it is cracked up to be!

It may be that the upcoming new BBC adaptation of The Three Musketeers might tempt me to dust off my copy of All For One - Regime Diabolique, but we shall see. I'd love to also be able to play some Trail of Cthulhu if the opportunity allows. Luckily I have the long train journey into London for such activities. I felt I really got a little too rusty from not GMing in 2013. Resolution secundus must be to try to run at least three sessions, which would beat my record this year!

Finally, I need to consolidate my collection of miniatures. I'm too thinly spread across too many projects, many of which I'm sure I'll never get around to. Consequently, I'm going to be off-loading some of my unpainted lead and plastic in January. One project that looks certain to get axed are my 28mm Carthaginian and Roman armies. I just don't think I'm going to get around to this, and if I ever go back to large scale ancients, I'll probably start from scratch.

I really didn't do very much miniatures gaming in 2013, and hope to rectify this in 2014. In particular, I want to focus on my Colonial, WW2, Vietnam War and Middle-earth projects. These will be sufficient to keep me busy. I may look to play some Sikh Wars (1840s), perhaps with some multi-player action towards the end of the year. It is all a question of time really.

So, my final resolution is to try to get some more regular miniatures games played. That will hopefully also include some Blood Bowl, Warhammer 40,000 and Stars Wars X-Wing if we can manage it, not to mention Battlefleet Gothic, which has a busy and interesting Facebook community, if you ever have the inclination to join it. See you in the New Year everyone!